Under the Weather
by PsychoIdiotLady
Summary: After the imaginary final battle, the Sanzo party return home to their ordinary lives- or do they? Ni Jianyi's influence hasn't abided, and with strange things happening around the temple, the Sanzo party must take matters into their own hands once again. Reviews, good or bad, make me update. By A2.
1. Reentry to the World

_**UNDER THE WEATHER**_

**Chapter One : Reentry To The World**

**By: Author 2**

**A/N: This is the introduction to this story, which happens as the Sanzo party is on their way back from defeating the Gyu-Maoh expirement. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki. I own the OC's. Author 1 and Colorfulbubble12 are my editors.**

In the burnt remains of what was once Hotou Castle a piece of rubble shifted, followed by another, and another. Ni Jianyi- sometimes Ukoku Sanzo- kicked his way through the debris. He clutched his bunny, still intact and nesting his scripture, and looked around. A disappointed sigh escaped him. The glass eye technology he'd been implanted with was too inferior to the one of Cho Hakkai, the one given to him by the Gods, and it took almost a full minute for him to properly see the destruction around him. Even the huge stone statue of Gyu-Maoh had been reduced to rubble rock. Gyu-Maoh, the Youkai his precious Gyokumen Koushu had loved enough to destroy the world for. No… Precious was too strong a word to describe something so worthless. He laughed and thrust aside more ruins to expose Koushu's body-bloody, mangled, and most certainly dead.

"Pity..." Ni said unfeelingly. He stepped over the mountains of the castle wreckage to a deep gash in the earth not too far away. Anyone who hadn't been there when Seiten Taisei had lost control of his powers, due to what had seemed to be Gyu Maoh's killing blow to Sanzo, would have passed it off as an ordinary gorge. Anyone who hadn't seen Seiten Taisei single handedly take down the Ox Youkai King wouldn't have believed such a large scale of damage could be done by a mere Youkai. It had gotten Ni to thinking that perhaps Goku wasn't just a mere Youkai without his limiter. Perhaps, the legends of the Great Mage Equal To The Gods were true.

"Prince. Princess. Hello?" Ni called down lazily, not at all surprised at the lack of response. It was nearly impossible to survive a fall from that height. Then again, it was also nearly impossible to survive the collapsing of a castle while inside. He chuckled at the irony.

Making his way over to the remains of his private lab, Ni located the four test tubes he'd been experimenting with. All four were broken, and the inhabitants- whatever they may have been- had escaped.

"Well…" Ni turned and began walking east, towards the rising sun. "Adaptation is key….darling little Kouryuu…"

At the bottom of the gorge, Princess Lirin shakily lifted herself from the ground.

Hopelessly, she shreiked, "Big brother!" A gasp came from behind her. As she turned, she threw herself towards a pile of stones and desperately began flinging them away to reveal the bloody form of Prince Kougaiji. Lirin pressed her hand to his neck, trying to find the place where Yaone had said you could find someone's pulse.

"Lirin..." Kougaiji mumbled, cracking his eyes open a bit. Lirin gasped and awkwardly hugged him, coaxing a pained chuckle from his lips.

Kougaiji smiled and said, "Doku and Yaone…will take…care of you. Try not to…give the humans…a hard time." Kougaiji slowly lifted his hand to Lirin's cheek and wiped away a tear.

Lirin shook her head and said, "I don't understand, big brother. You can take care of me just fine! You just gotta get up and I can get Y-yaone to stop you bleeding!" Kougaiji's hand slowly dropped back to his side as he went completely still, eyes devoid of anything. Lirin choked on a sob.

"Doku?" She croaked miserably. The body a foot away from her stayed limp, a razor-sharp rock protruding from its middle.

"Yaone?" She called, willing a clawed hand to place itself on her shoulder, and a soft voice to tell her it was all just a dream.

No such thing happened, and Lirin looked up into the sky, squinting at the sun. East, she decided. She would go east, and help the youkai whose lives had been destroyed by the minus wave that Kougaiji had been blind to. He would like that.

In the middle of nowhere, tensions ran high as the Heroes of China traveled back the way they had come.

"Food…"

"Chicks…"

"We really shouldn't have lost that map."

"Shut up or die."

"Food…"

"Chicks….Woah! Hakkai, stop the Jeep before you run over them!" Gojyo was the first to see the cross-legged figures in the exact middle of their path. None of the four angel-like women even batted an eyelash as the jeep skidded to a halt perilously close to them. Sanzo, Goku, Gojyo, and Hakkai stared as the blond stood, extending a small black box towards Sanzo. He took it hesitantly.

"I thank you for saving our land. This is a gift, from the farm I grew up on." She said, her voice like that of a harp.

Next, a redhead walked over to Gojyo and passed him a pink box, saying, "Thank you for bringing pride to your kind. This is a gift, from the river valley I inhabit." Gojyo gave his most charming smile and handed her a slip of paper with his address on it.

The brunette shyly went over to Goku and shoved a golden box in his face, her own face flushed a bright pink.

"Th-thanks for destroying the bad guys! This is a gift, too, from the ranch my parents own!"

Goku jumped up, hugged her, and excitedly exclaimed, "Yeah, thanks! It smells really good!"

The last woman, with black hair, gently offered Hakkai a green box.

"You have my gratitude for representing the Youkai race. A gift from my mountain village," She said. Hakkai smiled politely and thanked her.

The women bid them farewell and disappeared into the woods.

"Well that was awfully nice. Although I'm not sure we deserve it, considering how many towns we destroyed!" Hakkai laughed brightly, ignoring the paranoid side of him that wanted to chuck all four boxes at the ground. Sanzo grunted.

"Just drive. I want to be home as soon as fucking possible." He muttered.


	2. Chintose Karigana

_**UNDER THE WEATHER**_

**Chapter Two: Chintose Karigana**

**By: A2**

**A/N: Since the full journey took roughly three years, here are the Sanzo party's new ages. Sanzo- 26. Gojyo & Hakkai- 25. Goku- 21. Also, this fic is dedicated to our first reviewer, NeonPink2011, my co-author A1, and NeonPink2011's friend Gohagosa100.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki. I own the OC's. Author 1 and Colorfulbubble12 are my editors.**

_Seeing a town burning to the ground is nothing new. Even if I know it's a dream, how can I escape?_

"_CHINEN! CHINTOSE! GO!" Someone shrieks, hurling a small girl out of a window into the waiting arms of her brother. The two scramble off, out of the town- the brother has to drag his terrified sister away from the melee of blood and bodies. The girl is crying by the time they make it to the surrounding woods. A thick and long gash goes across her chest right below her collarbone. It will leave a scar. But It hurts her more that her perfect life has been so crudely ripped away. It hurts her more that everybody she loves has been slaughtered. It hurts her more that her strong, handsome big brother can barely stand. It hurts her so, so much and she clutches her brother's hand and cries for everything she's lost. He pushes away his own pain and holds his sister close, pressing her ear against his frantically beating heart so she knows he is still alive. And when the town behind them- their home- erupts into dancing, roaring, sickeningly beautiful flames he gasps and tells her, "There's nothing." and she screams my scream._

I wake up bawling and tangled in my bed sheets, my brother Chinen holding me down so I don't get hurt, gently sobbing and whispering that everything will be okay. I don't believe him, though I have been hearing those words for three-hundred-and-sixty-five days now. That night, he goes to his first bar.

When I'm fourteen, he quits his many jobs- he's constantly too drunk to do any type of work. I take on as many jobs as I can find, no matter their nature, and support my brother. I barely manage to pay rent and food, and Chinen keeps bloating his bar tab. I've heard whispers around town: She'd make a ton of money if she were a prostitute. _I will never stoop that low._ Not even for my brother.

On my twenty-first birthday my only friend throws me a party. I sleep over. When I get back, I'm beat with my brother's belt. The next day he is howling and begging for forgiveness, just like he's done for the last six years.

A year later, when I'm working at a restaurant, I receive the honor of tending to the holy Sanzo party- none of them seem the least bit holy to me. They ignore me except to give me their orders, but I remember them. Hakkai, with his traditional green buttoned shirt, light lavender sash and smart khaki pants. Goku's faded jeans pushed into worn black boots and red shirt and annoying orange cape. Gojyo and his lewd low-cut white tank top and purple vest, matched with his overly large brown jeans tediously tucked into flashy chocolate boots. The blond man- Priest Sanzo- with the billowing white robes, thin silk-leather turtleneck and gloves, a Founding Scripture of Heaven and Earth, a pure gold breastplate, and the coldest, saddest eyes I have ever seen. I never want my eyes to look that way.

Chinen goes insane when I'm twenty-four. He comes home drunk and screams and beats me so I bleed and cuts my hair so short I'm afraid my neck is next. He throws me onto the front porch. I run for two days, until I collapse from hunger and thirst in Chang'An- only five minutes away from the Temple Of The Setting Sun. There is only one job available for miles, that of Priest Sanzo's personal monk, formerly held by Go Dougan. I buy as many breast bands as I can with the sad amount of pocket change left in my pocket from running away, and go dressed as a man, since women aren't allowed in temples. I get the spot. I'll be the only monk with his own room, making it much easier to keep my secret. When 'Master' Sanzo returns, I will serve him. For now, I wash and cook.

'Master' Sanzo returns in a few days.

"Be ready, Monk Chintose Karigana," Is all they say.

**The Day Of Master Sanzo's Return (Spring)**

I'm standing in the hot sun at the temple gates with the head monk, Basu, who rambles on and on about how great and holy Master Sanzo is. I've been standing here for _three hours_. If Master Sanzo doesn't get here soon, I'm going to stalk back inside and trash his office, the one I've had to dust off every freaking day for a year. Thankfully for my sanity and Master Sanzo's office, a raucous green jeep comes careening into sight, speeding towards the temple. The old geezer Basu stumbles back and lands on his butt as the jeep skids to a screeching halt a few feet away. _Somebody_ never bothered to get a license. The four men practically throw themselves out of the vehicle and seconds later it morphs into a small white dragon that scares the shit out of Monk Basu. I stare at it for a few seconds before turning my attention to the four legendary men wiping the dirt off their asses in the most _un_-legendary manner I've ever seen.

Cho Hakkai- the rumored sadist, brunette mother hen of the group, who wears a monocle over his glassy green eyes (one of them _is_ glass, according to town gossip) and three ear cuffs as his Youkai limiters- bows politely to Monk Basu and me before glancing innocently at the fight and petting the white dragon thing. Sha Gojyo- with long red hair and red eyes (marks of a half breed, which I only know since my best friend Lana has a half-breed sister), long legs and infamous, I've heard, for molesting women- had Son Goku- the hyperactive golden-eyed boy with unbelievably spiky brown hair and a golden coronet- in a head lock and was furiously attempting to decapitate the 'fucking stupid monkey'. Genjo Sanzo- the only full human of the group with stunning blond hair like the sun, a sharp frame, and profound purple eyes- ignores the fight and glances over at me. My new Master, who will have all control of me for however long it takes to discover my gender and throw me out- or execute me, if he's in the mood.

"I want a bath," Master Sanzo says to Monk Basu. _Gee, nice to meet you too, _I think. Monk Basu pats my arm and ambles away to who knows where. I sigh and begin climbing the numerous steps up to the actual temple part of the grounds, not checking or caring if the Sanzo party is following.

I'm surprised at how young Master Sanzo is. I saw him back when the group passed through my town and ate at the restaurant, but I'd long since forgotten what he looked like. I only remembered his eyes, and the fact that he wasn't very holy. Now I again realize that he's probably around the same age as me.

"So who's the man with a prettier face than Hakkai?" Gojyo asks me near the top of the god-damned stairs, breaking the beautiful silence. I groan.

"Gay wad." I say, giving him a poisonous glare. I won't last long as a guy if he already thinks I'm a girl.

"HA! He called you gay! He just met you and he called you gay!" Goku yells, jumping up and down. Gojyo grabs him and shoves the poor guy's face into his armpit.

"Shut up monkey! Even you should be smart enough to know I only fuck girls!" He snaps. Goku's choking sounds are extremely convincing but dying down by the time we finish climbing the stairs. I stop abruptly before pushing open the temple gates.

"… Mobs... This way," I say. I can hear the monks congregating inside the gates already. Master Sanzo nods, obviously pissed.

"How the hell did you get hired? You're definitely not a real monk." He scoffs, whacking Gojyo on the head to free a suffering Goku. I think for a moment. From what I saw the one day he came to my restaurant, he isn't the holiest guy on the planet.

"Lying." I say, cheering up a little when I hear Master Sanzo curse under his breath. Gojyo makes a disturbing comment and Goku starts another fight with him.

Hakkai chuckles and says, "I think you and Sanzo will get along quite well! But why would you want to work at the temple if you don't even believe in gods?" I shrug. There's no way I'm telling them that my psycho brother beat the crap out of me and sent me running. We make it to a set of small doors in the log fence of the vast temple grounds which I quietly push open. I stride through them into a short, grassing field leading directly to the special bath houses, the ones only Master Sanzo is allowed to use. If only the monks knew the special bath houses were the only reason I never got caught bathing. Oh well.

Goku sprints past me and yanks the back door open, slipping on the shiny marble floors I've had to polish _every day_ for a whole freaking year and landing with a thud in the deep bowl big enough for at least ten people. I've never understood why it's got to be so big if only one holy guy is going to use it. I mean, aren't monks supposed to be humble and un-materialistic?

Gojyo laughs, Hakkai chuckles and Master Sanzo throws his fan with pinpoint accuracy at Goku's head. I sigh and throw a lighted match into the boiler, nudging the water tap with my foot to let a flood of steaming liquid sear over Goku. He howls in pain and scrambles out of the tub, grabbing on to Gojyo's pant leg near the top and bringing the red head back down with him.

"AHHH! DAMN YOU, MONKEY! IT'S _HO-O-O-OT_!" Gojyo cries, attempting to use Goku's head as a step to reach the edge of the tub. Hakkai smiles at them innocently and Master Sanzo curses loudly and shrugs out of his robe. Goku resurfaces once Gojyo is splayed out on the marble edge of the tub and coughing out scorching water. Goku yelps, struggling to pull himself onto the level floor. I take a towel from a nearby rack and slap them over the head with it.

"Chill man! It's the animal's fault!" Gojyo yells at me. Goku takes offense and begins ranting about 'no-good roaches polluting his living space'. I rub my temples.

"Brain dead bastards," I say, kicking the sputtering men out of my way to the toiletries closet. I grab loads of conditioners and shampoos, soaps and bath salts, massage oils and healing balms, towels and rough scrubby-thingies. When I turn back around the four men are naked and submerged in the water shoulders down. I fight back a furious blush and set the many bottles within reach but not close enough to fall and gather up their piles of sweaty, bloody, torn clothing, being careful to leave the two sutras within vision of the watching Sanzo priest. He turns his scowl back to Goku and Gojyo, who are engaging in a splash battle five feet away from him and Hakkai. I really wish they would make more of an effort to keep their privates under water.

"Be right back," I say, walking through the doors and out of the steamy bath house and jerking my small ponytail tighter in annoyance. I flag down the first monk I see, dumping my load of clothes in his spindly arms. He looks at me strangely, like he's wondering whether to tell me something or not. He scatters away. The back of my neck tingles and suddenly the burliest monk in the temple is lifting me up by my collar, which I keep especially high to hide both the slight boob bump not hidden by the breast band and my gruesome scar. He turns me to face him, and I lash out at his eyes, flailing.

"Let go, baldy!" I yell. Monk Siroh lands a punch in my gut. I cringe and gasp for the air he knocked out of me.

"You be good to the holy Master Sanzo! I don't trust you. So you be good!" He throws me to the ground, knocking my breath out again, and stalks away. Moaning, I roll onto my back and suck in huge lungfuls of air. Then I force myself to get up and walk back to the bath house.

"Took you long enough." Gojyo mutters, elbowing Goku in the ribs. I glare at him; god dammit, why does water have to be so _clear?_

"Did you fall?" Master Sanzo asks, narrowing his eyes at a point right below my collarbone. I look down, quickly yanking the messed-up collar of my monk's habit up to hide the small fraction of visible pink scar.

"Yeah. Tripped over a squirrel." I glare back at Master Sanzo and realize he's got it way worse than me. The only place scars don't criss-cross and mar him is his face, angular and stern and just a little bit worn. Pink, pale white, even angry light red lines coat him. There are some deep red ones that stand out- the others have them too- that must be recent. And it dawns on me that their journey might not have been as annoying and careless as they make it seem.

"You guys look worse." I say quietly, seriously. Hakkai smiles sadly at me and Goku and Gojyo fall into subdued silence. Master Sanzo's back is turned to me again and I don't see his reaction.

"We had our moments." Hakkai says, and I get the feeling that sentence means more to the four of them than it ever will to me. The girly, motherly side that I haven't shown since my brother came back from his first bar bubbles up into my mouth before I can stop it.

"Master Sanzo, sit on the edge." I say. I remember the last time I told my brother that- I had pity in my voice then, but not now. It's not gratitude either. Master Sanzo glowers at me suspiciously before pushing himself up onto the rim of the bath. I kneel behind him and grab one of the many bottles of healing oil, smothering loads of the smelly stuff onto my hands.

When my fingers touch Master Sanzo's shoulders, he pulls away uncertainly and clenches his jaw, eyes scalding me over his shoulder, but Hakkai smiles once he realizes what I intend to do and Master Sanzo settles down again. I brush the tips of my fingers over his shoulder blades and ground my knuckles into his back. I used to give my brother massages all the time when we were little- I'm pretty sure I sucked, but he always pretended I was the best massager in the world. He later taught me how to do it properly. But that was before. And Master Sanzo is not my brother.

"I go next!" Goku yells, snapping me out of the past and gaining an opposing yell from Gojyo. They're immediately clawing at each other like animals. I try and fail to give them a smile, so nod instead. Once I'm in mother-mode, it's pretty hard for me to say no to anybody. I knead Master Sanzo's back harder; this guy has serious muscle knots- and serious scars. Hakkai gazes at me with his deep green eyes.

"I don't believe I caught your name." He states curiously. I shrug.

"It's Chintose. Chintose Karigana."

"That's a nice name," Hakkai replies, smiling. "Is there anything wrong, Chintose?" I stare into him for a while and he gives back an intensity I've never felt before.

I'm about to tell him, I have a brother, Chinen, but "No." is what comes out. This man may appear like a benevolent being but I think under the skin of Cho Hakkai there is a sly, dangerous _thing_, and I don't want him to know anything about me. Even telling him my name seems like a mistake. I shake off the feeling, because that's absurd since he's the one who saved China, and that at least should earn him the benefit of the doubt. But when he frowns and goes to break up the fight between Goku and Gojyo, I'm not so sure. A foreboding creeps up my spine- I'd rather stay away from him.

Master Sanzo is finally relaxing, but only a bit, and I'm sure my hands leave him feeling foreign and vague.


End file.
